School bus companies blasted for parking outside people's homes for up to 45 minutes every afternoon say they are forced to turn up early because of drivers parking at bus stops.

Vehicles picking up pupils at Westlands School in Sittingbourne have had to park on the busy A2 London Road and at stops in Adelaide Road since October 2019 after the school told the firm they could no longer use its site.

Frustrated residents say they have had to endure idling buses, traffic jams, and children congregating in front of their properties, leaving behind rubbish and putting their bags in the front gardens.

The buses, which pick up and drop off the school's pupils who travel in from Sheppey, collect the children at 3pm when school ends, but regularly arrive at 2.30pm and sometimes as early as 2.15pm.

Swale councillor Cllr Roger Truelove (Lab) said this had been a "long-term issue", adding: "People in Adelaide Drive don't like it because the buses park in front of their properties, it causes extra traffic and it risks the safety of the children.

"The children have to run across the road to get to the bus stops and they are often perceived as a nuisance by the residents.

"The bus companies themselves wish they didn't have to park there but the school won't let them on the site.

"It's not their fault, they don't have anywhere else to park, but they show up much too early. Every afternoon they're queued up, waiting long before school ends.

"Of course, they can't be expected to turn up two minutes before 3pm, because they do need to find a parking space, and we have to have the buses, because so many pupils come from the Isle of Sheppey.

"It's impossible to do something about that although it is the key issue here. It would only change if not so many children needed to come from Sheppey."

Cllr Truelove had asked Swale council to arrange a meeting with the two bus companies, which was arranged for February 14.

He planned to ask the companies to turn up slightly later to avoid extra disruption to residents, however, neither company showed up.

The meeting was rearranged for Thursday, March 2, and a solution was reached.

Cllr Truelove added: "The bus companies agreed they had been arriving too early, and we settled that they would not come earlier than 2.45pm.

"I'll leaflet the people in the road so they understand the situation and where the buses will be parked.

"It's the best we can do at the moment, because we don't have another school for Sheppey children."

However, bus firm bosses say they have encountered problems arriving later, with cars blocking the stops.

Roland Eglinton, managing director of Chalkwell buses, said the individual bus departures are allocated to specific stops, both in Adelaide Drive and on the A2.

He said: "This avoids too many buses trying to serve the same stop at the same time, and enables children to be confident in which stop they have to go to.

"As a local business Chalkwell provide quality home to school transport, and keeping good faith with residents is an important part of that."

Tim Lambkin, Travelmasters managing director, said: "It was a very positive meeting. For the first few days after the meeting, it went well and we didn't have any problems.

"I did drive one of the buses this week and a car was parked at the bus stop. We don't want to cause anyone any problems, but we have a job to do and the safety of the children is the most important thing.

"We have specific stops we have to park at so each child knows where to go. If we're not in that spot, they're putting their safety at risk, running across the busy road trying to find their bus.

"We don't want to get back to turning up earlier but when people ignore the 'no parking' signs, drivers turn up early to avoid being blocked."